Navidad, Navidad, Dulce Navidad...

Christmas lights in Madrid - yes, it really does look like this!

So goes the Spanish version of that beloved tune, Jingle Bells... (By the way, I dare you to click on that link, see it through, and not throw up). I've been hearing it quite often, and I suppose I'll be hearing it for a while longer, now that I've "decided" to stay in Madrid over the holidays.

The reasons for my "decision" are not particularly complex - put simply, I'm broke. Well, not broke, exactly: anyone who knew/met/saw me during the summer knows what I'm like when I'm properly broke. I'm making a little bit of money teaching English, and that's enough to survive on; but that's the point. I'm survivng, but not quite out of the financial hole I got myeslf into, this year. So, I've "decided" to stay.

The prospect of being in Madrid over Christmas is hardly depressing. The Spniards may profess to Catholicism, but that's just so that they can use the Saints' days as an excuse for a holiday. Here, Christmas began back in mid-November. And, as you can see from the photo, above, they take Christmas seriously, here. Any plaza larger than 100 square metres has some some sort of Christmas Fair set up every evening, with gifts galore for every taste, fashion or fetish...

Let's not forget, of course, as those of you who know me, that "Sanya at Christmas" has never been one of the TV specials to look out for. The road to warming up to this ridiculous festival we've dressed up in messages of peace, harmony, goodwill, blah blah blah, has been long, and maybe a change of scenery will do me good. I've yet to see gaudy cristmas decorations adorning the fronts of people's houses; but I have seen a good deal of "cagador" figurines ("shitter" - to my right), intended for the home Nativity Scene, which tickled me.

And then there are the lights along the main streets. The photo, above, is pretty much what I see every time I turn the corner out of my road onto La calle de la Princesa, leading down to the Christmas Tree in Plaza de España, and the Gran Vía (Main Street) display, all of which is pretty much in the centre of the city. Plenty of the other streets in and around the city are lit, too, some more attractive than others (compare above with another set, just off the Puerta del Sol, the lights being pretty much randomly arranged zig-zags, looking more like the explanatory graphs which come with news articles on the financial crisis).

Finally, as was unexpectedy proven, last year, Christmas on my own is great! I prepare my meals, do a roast, watch the TV, send out the "other" Queen's Speech to all my friends, ope my presents from friends, speak to a few on the phone, and finally get drunk watchng the Doctor Who Christmas Special, or any Christmas Special, to be honest - the point is, I get drunk on special wine. It's great: I'm in omplete control of my day, I don't have to deal with irritating family-members, and I can say and do whatever I likefor the entire day. Bliss...

So, even though I won't see my best friends for that little bit longer, I will have Christmas as Usual, and one of my New Year's resolutions is to sort out my finances, which means that, with any luck, come Christmas 2009, I won't have anything to moan about. One can drean, can't one...?

"Gawd bless us. Everone."